Out of the Loop
by Flatkatsi
Summary: A tiny piece of left out information leads a newly returned Daniel to the most unexpected discovery. Jack/Freya. This story is a sequel to 'A Slow Melding' written by Eleri and I. It's probably best to read that fic first.


Author: Eleri McCleod & Flatkatsi

Pairings: Jack/Other

Spoilers: Fallen, Homecoming

Season: Season 7

Sequel/Series Info: Sequel to 'A Slow Melding'

Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Author's Note: This short sequel to our longer story 'A Slow Melding' was written while Eleri visited Flatkatsi on the opposite side of the planet to her home. It should have been longer, but we were having too much fun doing other stuff. Eleri typed while Flatkatsi threw out the occasional phrase and played games on Facebook. Flatkatsi's main contribution was the last few sentences, because she has a warped mind. Eleri's mind is bright and sparkling and isn't warped in the slightest.

**Out of the Loop**

"Can anyone tell me what this is and why it's sitting on my desk?"

"I believe Jonas Quinn was particularly interested in its origins."

"And this is the sort of thing we specialize in?"

"Of course. You're Earth's foremost expert in them. Believe it or not, you have an exceptionally large private collection."

"You're telling me I own a large collection of specialized phallic symbols?"

"Yes. Acquired from all over the galaxy."

Daniel glanced back and forth between his two friends and the artifact creating his concern, quite surprised he had absolutely no memory of such a collection. Wanting more details but not sure how to phrase the request, he was stopped by the twitch of Sam's lips. "You're yanking my chain, aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?"

This time the pause was even shorter before peels of laughter confirmed his suspicions. He chuckled as well, appreciating the ease of their teasing. The past week had been stressful not only due to his annoying gaps in memory but the surprise departure of Jonas Quinn back to his home world because of the threat from Anubis. He'd recovered many of his most important memories yet it was the small details he couldn't remember that left him feeling out of the loop. He set the object gingerly back onto his desk and stepped away.

"Daniel, where do you want me to put these notebooks?" Sam asked, the laughter still in her voice.

"I keep them in the top drawer over there." He pointed toward the large cabinet across the room, pleased at least some small memories would come back so easily.

As Sam walked past the door it opened, hitting her on the chin as she jerked her head back. The notebook hit the floor with a slap, loose papers fluttering out from between its pages and scattering at her feet.

"Whoops. Sorry, Major. You okay?"

"Nothing a nice ice pack won't cure."

Jack nodded a greeting to him and Teal'c, but turned immediately back to Sam. "Good. So go grab one because your dad's arriving in fifteen minutes and I don't want him thinking I'm beating the help."

The surprise on Sam's face was obvious as she lowered the hand rubbing her jaw. "Fifteen? I thought the Tok'ra weren't due in until tomorrow?"

"Change of plans. We're a little higher on their priority list than usual."

Sorting through his memories, Daniel came up with nothing. "Remind me why are the Tok'ra coming?"

"Do you not remember the conversation we had a few days ago regarding the upcoming discussions? They are expected to last at least two days." Teal'c seemed a little bemused at his lack of knowledge.

"I'm not involved, am I?"

Shooting him an exasperated look, Jack replied, "No. You had a hard enough time remembering my name. I didn't think you'd have much to contribute this time."

"Good. That means I can avoid them completely. Please tell me Tok'ra Barbie isn't on the guest list." Where the hell had that phrase come from? Yet another item to add to the list of things he knew but didn't understand. A brief image flashed through his head of a scantily clad, blonde-haired woman who would have turned more than a few heads out on the street, rapidly followed by a sense of irritation that vanished at the look on Jack's face.

"I'll give you that one because your brain's Swiss cheese right now. But you need to remember the Tok'ra are our allies and as such deserve respect."

For a moment, Daniel was at a loss for words. He rapidly sifted through the few memories of the Tok'ra he had, but found nothing to account for his friend's reaction. In fact, he seemed to remember Jack never having been enamored of them. He waited a beat for the laughter to start, but only felt an awkward tension instead. Glancing between Teal'c and Sam he hoped to find a clue from their expressions. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one he was looking for. Both of his team mates were clearly uncomfortable. Sam refused to meet his gaze however Teal'c gave a tiny warning shake of his head. If only Daniel knew what he was warning him of. Instinct finally kicked in. When all else failed, fall back to diplomacy. "You're right. I apologize."

The response from Jack was immediate and nothing like what he'd expected. "I would hope so."

"Fifteen minutes, sir?" Sam said into the stony silence. "I'd better get my notes. Are they still remaining overnight?"

"As of ten minutes ago." Jack's eyes stared piercingly into Daniel's. "I'll go with you, Major. I have a few things I need to take care of also."

It was a relief when the two officers left the room, the tension dissipating behind them. Still staring out the door, Daniel asked, "What am I missing here, Teal'c?"

"Much has changed in your absence. May I only suggest you refrain from comments on the Tok'ra until you have a greater understanding of the current situation." Moving over to the fallen notebook, he knelt and gathered together the sheets before picking them up. "Where did you wish these placed again?"

Hours later he was still in his office, nose buried deep into a journal dated almost exactly three years ago he had no memory of writing. The feeling was getting old until he turned the page. Images flooded his brain and he looked down to his arm half-expecting to see it enclosed in a thick metal band.

_'Yep, that looks like trouble to me.'_

_'Both of you? Can't wait for that.'_

_'Now you see, this is just the kind of irresponsible, uncooperative...'_

He'd been right. Jack's tirade had been cut short, but the sentiment he remembered was still there. None of the flashes he'd just witnessed explained his friend's reaction. One thing he was sure of was that he'd never been a person to let a mystery go unsolved if he could help it. With a glance at his watch, he knew the initial meeting with their Tok'ra allies would have been over hours ago and it was, in fact, late enough that Jack would mostly likely have been relieved of escort duty and able to retreat to any area the Tok'ra would not be.

The commissary was the most obvious choice, but all he found there were a few off-duty personnel and none of them had seen the colonel. Maybe he'd taken the opportunity to finish up some paperwork since he was stuck on base. Daniel waved his ID card over the security panel to call the elevator. It had to have been only a couple of floors away as the doors opened in record time. It was a short distance down the corridor to Jack's office. There was no response when he rapped lightly on the closed door so he tried the handle. As usual, it was unlocked. He peered inside yet Jack was nowhere in sight. Rather than continue to run around the complex like a headless chicken, Daniel decided to do what he should have in the first place and ask the one person who knew everything there was to know about the SGC.

"Sgt. Davis, uh, Harriman, uh, Walter. Hi."

"Dr. Jackson, what can I do for you?"

Thankfully the man was kind enough to just ignore his stumbling. "Do you have any idea where Col. O'Neill is?"

"Not exactly at this minute. I do know with the Tok'ra delegation here he had no plans on leaving the Mountain. Earlier he mentioned he was tired so perhaps you should try his quarters."

Jackpot. "Thanks, Walter. I appreciate the help." With a destination now in sight, Daniel closed the office door behind him and headed back to the elevator. Now if only he could remember what level Jack's quarters were on. His finger hovered indecisively over the numbers as he prayed for his muscles to reach out and hit the right one by instinct. He closed his eyes and stabbed. Infirmary, here I come, he thought. Maybe Janet would like some company.

Instead of level 21, he found himself on 26 and surprisingly enough knew exactly where he was. The name plate three doors down on the left read 'O'Neill, J.' He knocked lightly, hoping his friend hadn't turned in early. It wasn't something Jack would normally do, however 'normally' wasn't something Daniel often got right lately.

After a significant pause, long enough he almost started walking away, he heard Jack's voice. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Jack. Do you have a minute?"

"Is it important?"

He thought for a moment. Well, it was important to him. "Yes." When nothing followed after another long pause, he began to feel a little aggravated. "And I really don't want to talk about it through a door."

"Hold on a second."

The reluctance in his friend's tone surprised him. What the hell could Jack be doing in there that was so earth-shattering? But on second thought, did he really want to know?

The door opened a few inches with a quiet click to reveal one glaring brown eye. "Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?"

Now he was getting seriously irked. "No, it couldn't. I'm still quite concerned about our misunderstanding earlier. I've been going over some of my journals and I'm confused by your reaction to my comment about the Tok'ra. I think it's pretty important because the situation with Anubis is so volatile. I can't contribute unless I have all the facts. Can I come in?"

An almost panicked expression flooded Jack's face and he glanced over his shoulder quickly before turning back. "Uh, now's not really a good time."

"Come on, Jack. What's so embarrassing that you have to hide it behind a door? Didn't you tell me I was your best friend?"

"Of course you are."

He was obviously finished speaking yet Daniel could hear the 'but.' "And? So? Therefore?"

Jack didn't have time to respond. Abruptly, the door was flung wide open. Standing next to Jack was the woman he'd seen in his memories. Or was it in his nightmares? But this image was distinctly much more conservatively dressed. His mind went completely blank and for once in his life words utterly failed him. Turning back to Jack hoping for a lifeline, he saw little details the door had hidden before. The second button of his shirt was conspicuously placed in the third hole setting the entire alignment off and his hair was even more unruly than usual. If it wasn't for the Tok'ra's presence he might have thought Jack had been stealing a nap. His brain sluggishly put two and two together but the conclusion was so unlikely he dismissed it immediately.

"Good evening, Dr. Jackson."

Of the three, she was the most composed. Daniel had to give her that much. "Hi, Anise. Um, Freya? I'm sorry, how should I-" He stumbled to a halt, wondering where his ease with language had gone all of a sudden. Thankfully she took pity on him and immediately filled in the gap. His stomach sank as he heard the echoing tones of the symbiote. He'd read all about them, but hearing it was something completely different. Knowing he'd associated with the Tok'ra before did nothing to lessen the shock.

"The convention is to address whoever is speaking at the time or whomever you wish to speak to."

Well, that was obvious enough. He felt like a bit of an idiot. The sensation lessened just a little as he caught sight of Jack hurriedly straightening his disheveled clothing. He decided he'd had enough of being confused and to hell with the rest. "Okay. You've got to help me out here. I don't have a clue what's going on." He waited a long moment for an answer but none were forthcoming. To his total shock, only the slightest flush of Jack's cheeks gave anything away.

The silence lengthened until the Tok'ra stepped forward and placed one hand on Jack's arm. "Dr. Jackson, Daniel if I may, Jack and I are, I believe the phrase is, seeing each other."

She'd spoken English. He knew she had. It was his very first language yet it suddenly didn't mean anything but gibberish. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that? Did she just say you two are dating?"

"No, Daniel, that's not what we're doing."

Oh, thank God. All was right in the world once again.

"We're way past dating."

For a minute it didn't add up. Everything he seemed to remember was now proven a lie. Tingles started at his fingertips and made it up to his wrists before he realized that it was anger. Jack hadn't told him. The man who claimed to be his best friend had failed to mention something so clearly important to him. "Why didn't anyone tell me? Am I the only member of the SGC who doesn't know? Teal'c and Sam obviously know." The anger flared into movement. Without giving Jack time to respond, he had turned and was three steps down the corridor. He dug his access card from his pocket and viciously swiped it over the reader. He'd been made a fool of and found he really didn't care for the feeling.

"Daniel, please wait." The soft voice came as a surprise. He hadn't heard Anise follow him he was so wrapped up in his emotions. "Come back and let us explain. It's been a difficult time for all of us."

Politeness won over temper. After all it wasn't the Tok'ra he was angry with. Studiously avoiding Jack gaze as he entered Jack's quarters, he moved all the way across the room to give himself another few seconds to calm down. It didn't really work, but he felt better for the effort anyway. He turned to face them and asked the thing foremost in his thoughts. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't just my secret to tell." Jack's answer was less than helpful.

"What secret? If everyone knows it's not a secret, right?"

"Well, that's just it. It's not like we've mass-blasted an email to the entire base. Only five people on Earth know. Now you're number six." He reached out and took Anise's hand, drawing her closer to his side. "I wanted to tell you, but I had to talk to them first."

Stunned by their ease together and by Jack's casual use of the plural, Daniel knew instinctively their relationship couldn't be in its initial stages. Anger warred with happiness for his friend. The fact Jack was in a relationship was wonderful, but this was the last person he would have imagined him to choose. His brain spun with the implications. Leave it to Jack to go down the most complicated route. One good thing to come out of the whole fiasco was the sudden leap in the return of memories.

"The first thing Jack said when we arrived was he had something important to discuss with us." This time it was clearly the human half of the pair who spoke. "I am very glad you have returned. I was present for your memorial service and saw how upset he was."

"You were there?"

"Of course. I wanted to be here for Jack."

Hold up. He glanced between the two, taking note of the almost guilty expression on Jack's face. "You mean to tell me this has been going on since before I ascended?" He didn't know whether to be offended or annoyed at the length of time.

"We had not become intimate prior to your physical death."

Daniel watched Jack nearly choke as he attempted to stutter out, "T.M.I., Freya. Remember we've had this talk?"

"Yes, but I thought seeing as Daniel was to be included in the small group to know about us that I would be able to speak plainly." She looked up at Jack, both caring and confusion easy to read on her face.

Daniel felt his anger dissipate slightly, but he still needed to know. "As happy as this all is, it still doesn't answer why you didn't just tell me in the first place."

"Oh come on, Daniel. You're the guy who spent your first five days back calling me Jim. You were confined to the SGC by Gen. Hammond because you didn't know who you could talk to about what. I couldn't take the risk of you accidentally telling someone who wasn't in the loop."

Maybe Jack had a point. The knot of anger in his stomach finally dissolved completely. If their roles had been reversed he might have done the exact same, even knowing how much it would hurt his friend. "You were really going to tell me?"

"Tomorrow morning. After talking to Freya and Anise."

"Thank you for waiting, _aheeb_. I know you would have wanted to tell him as soon as he'd been returned to you."

_Aheeb_? Unless he was greatly mistaken that translated roughly into 'snookums' or 'sweetie-pie.' Somehow he got the feeling she'd told him it meant something a lot less gooey. Even as it was, he felt a little like vomiting.

Jack leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Thanks, dear, I knew you'd understand. Have I told you today how good it is to see you?"

Now he really was going to throw up. "Appreciate the explanation, guys." He waited for acknowledgment, but after another look at the now embracing couple he quickly went on. "I'll just let myself out. See you tomorrow, Jack." As he shut the door and hurried down the corridor, the most awful image filled his mind of the two of them standing in front of a house with a white picket fence.

And beagles.

The End (for now)


End file.
